The Fairfield Titan was a giant cantilever crane at BAE Systems' Govan shipyard, and the largest such crane on the River Clyde until it was demolished in 2007.[1]
History
editThe crane was built by Sir William Arrol & Co. at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company yard in 1911, and was first used to install machinery in HMS New Zealand (1911).[2][3]
The Titan was last used six weeks before its demolition, assembling a Type 45 destroyer.[4] Despite being category A listed, permission was granted for its removal as it was hindering development of the yard, and it was dismantled over a period of three weeks and recycled.[4]
The crane features in the song Shipyard Apprentice by Scottish traditional music group Battlefield Band.[5][6]
Design
editThe original 200-tonne (220-short-ton) tested capacity was uprated to 250 t (280 short tons) c. 1941, and then later derated to 220 t (240 short tons).[7] Two 65-brake-horsepower (48-kilowatt) electric motors powered the main hoist, and a 95-brake-horsepower (71-kilowatt) motor actuated an auxiliary hoist to allow loads of up to 40 t (44 short tons) to be lifted at the maximum radius of 161 ft (49.1 m).[8]
References
edit- ^ "A giant comes down - once the world's biggest shipyard crane". Shipping Times UK. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ "Fairfield Crane". theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ "Naval Institute Proceedings". 37. United States Naval Institute. 1911: 1056.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b "A giant comes down - once the world's biggest shipyard crane". Shipping Times. 31 August 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Shipyard Apprentice - The Battlefield Band on YouTube
- ^ "The Fairfield Crane". mysongbook.de. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "Glasgow, Govan Road, Fairfield Shipyard, Giant Cantilever Crane". CANMORE. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "Institution of Electrical Engineers". Science Abstracts: Electrical Engineering Abstracts. 14: 385. 1911.